Women now four games from title after win

New Motherwell 2018/19 home and away kits

2018/19 squad numbers revealed

Ticket information for Crusaders trip

Tickets for our trip to face Crusaders on Saturday, 30 June can be purchased on the gate.

Motherwell will head to Belfast for Jordan Owens’ testimonial in the game at Seaview. Kick off is at 1pm.

Adults can get in for £10, while concessions are priced at £5.

Twenty-four players have travelled to the club’s pre-season training camp in the Republic of Ireland and all will travel north, with the likelihood most will see playing time.

First team

Alex and Cédric read Scottish tweets

Thursday 28 June 2018

From our pre-season base in Ireland, defender Cédric Kipré and new midfielder Alex Rodríguez Gorrín have a go at understanding some Scottish humour by reading out some funny tweets.

First team

Pete: We’re setting new standards

Thursday 28 June 2018

The 2017/18 season provided plenty cause to be optimistic about what’s being built at Motherwell, with the team having reached both national cup finals and narrowly missed out on a top six finish.

With the core of the group retained for the new campaign, and further depth added to the squad in key positions, manager Stephen Robinson’s decision to take the team back to Carton House in Ireland for pre-season training was very much about trying to set the same standards again.

Defender Peter Hartley wasn’t a Motherwell player this time 12 months ago, but he quickly became aware of the level expected.

A pivotal figure in the backline before injury curtailed his season last year, the Englishman says the return across the Irish Sea is about more than simply trying to replicate what’s gone before. Instead, he says, it’s about raising standards further and finding another level.

“We’re not planning on standing still,” he said. “We are planning on moving forward and breaking into the top six.

If you stand still, you’ll get overtaken. We have to improve. The only way to do that is to grow, get fitter and instil the principles again.

“If we do that, the target is to win a cup final this time, or get into the top six.”

A foot injury picked up in January ruled the former Plymouth Argyle man out for several months at the start of 2018.

Having maintained his status as an important figure behind the scenes during his layoff, Hartley says he’s now completely ready to impose himself again on the field.

“I feel great,” he said. “I am pain free. I am making sure I am getting my match sharpness when I can and getting involved with practically everything.”

First team

Barry Maguire signs new deal

Thursday 28 June 2018

Barry Maguire has extended his stay with Motherwell for the 2018/19 season.

The central defender, who made his first team debut towards the end of last campaign, has signed a new one-year deal.

Maguire, 20, has made three appearances in claret and amber to date.

“I am delighted to be staying with the club,” he said after signing on. “I got a taste of first team football last season and felt I handled it well.

”My goal now is to try and stay in the manager’s thoughts and get into the team.”

Manager Stephen Robinson added: “Barry has shown he has the ability to step up to the first team and give us further options at centre back.”

”We are pleased he is staying on and hope we can keep pushing him to fulfil his potential.”

First team

Darlington kick off moved

Thursday 28 June 2018

Our pre-season friendly away to Darlington has been changed to a 3pm kick off.

The game will still be played on Sunday, 8 July at the Quakers’ Blackwell Meadows ground.

Reserves & Under 18s

Colts given away tie in cup

Thursday 28 June 2018

Motherwell Colts will play either BSC Glasgow or East Stirlingshire in the first round of the Irn-Bru Cup.

The clash will be played on the midweek of 14/15 August. The exact date, kick off time and venue will be announced shortly.

BSC and East Stirling will play in a preliminary round on 31 July to determine who will take us on.

The young Steelmen defeated Queen’s Park in the first round of the competition last season, before a trip to face Northern Irish side Crusaders.

After a battling performance, the hosts ran out narrow 3-2 winners with a last-minute goal.

Well Society

Well Society: AGM report

Wednesday 27 June 2018

The Well Society held their Annual General Meeting on Tuesday night (26th June).

Joint chairman Douglas Dickie reported an increase in membership and income accrued over the past year, related to the success on the park last season when ’Well finished runners-up in both national cup competitions and were seventh in the league.

Douglas reported that the membership now stands at just over 2,600 which results in an income into the Society of around £15,000 per month. The Society raised just under £200,000 in total over the last year, which included income from a share sale, auction, events and donations.

This was a fantastic achievement by the membership and in that respect Douglas thanked them for their tremendous support. He outlined that this income is vital to the success of the club throughout including supporting the academy and the club’s Community Trust.

Douglas complimented both the fantastic success and the work that the academy and the Trust carry out and pointed out that they reach out to over 30,000 people within the community. He appealed to all fans and local businesses to help the Society grow to support the community, underpinning the club’s financial stability and maximising the ‘Double Your Money’ offer given by previous owner Les Hutchison.

This pledge, whereby Mr Hutchison matches any individual investment made out of his own pocket, ends at the end of December and has a maximum ceiling of £500,000. To take full advantage of this, the Society needs to target income of £300,000 this year.

The Society has also formed a Business Club and has had one successful meeting where over 20 businesses were in attendance and demand means they have another meeting on July 19. Douglas also took time out to put on record the Society’s thanks for Mr Hutchison’s continued support since the transfer of ownership.

He said: “We have all seen the benefits of the hard work done throughout the club as a whole including the Society, the community, the academy both on and off the park last season and it is proof of what can be achieved when we all pull together.”

The meeting closed with a round of questions from the floor and a thank you from Douglas to those attending and to the current board of the Society for their hard work and support throughout the year.

Women

Women now four games from title after win

Monday 25 June 2018

Motherwell go into the summer break on top of the SWPL2 table after running out 7-0 winners over Glasgow Girls at a sun-basked Braidhurst on Sunday.

Suzanne Mulvey and Caitlin Russell bagged a double each, while Kerry Montgomery, Kirsty McLaughlin and Megan Burns were also amongst the scorers in an emphatic win.

Straight from the off, both sides went toe-to-toe in search for an early goal to make their stamp on the game.

Mulvey had a huge chance to put the ‘Well ahead in the first minute. Russell got the better of her marker and crossed the ball to Mulvey, who was unmarked in the centre of the box. She couldn’t make the most of it though as she sliced her shot wide.

Motherwell continued their early attacking pressure and they were rewarded for their efforts in the sixth minute ,when Montgomery put the women of steel in front. Mulvey pounced on a defensive error and unselfishly played the ball to her team mate, who picked her spot from close range. Montgomery’s right footed shot beat the keeper at her near post and nestled itself into the bottom right corner.

What would follow would be a series of half chances for the girls in claret and amber. With Montgomery and Burns pulling the strings from midfield, they tried to make the most of the space in behind the defence by distributing high balls for the wingers to run on to. The idea was good but the execution wasn’t there, as time after time the linesman had his flag up for offside.

The missed opportunities were nearly punished as Lauren Evans nearly snuck a goal back to level the game. A mix up between Nicholson and Johnston at the back enabled Evans to get the extra half yard over the defence. But her shot was a tame effort and the ‘Well defence escaped unharmed.

Chances would continue to fall the Steelwomen’s way. In the 30th minute, Mulvey got her second of the match to extend the Motherwell lead. A great delivery into the box by Russell wasn’t dealt with by the Glasgow defence and Mulvey was on hand to deliver a poacher’s finish to smash the ball home.

The ladies continued where they left off at the start of the second half and managed to grab another early goal. Mulvey was on hand yet again to finish off a good counter attacking move. Montgomery broke through the Glasgow defence and unselfishly passed to Mulvey to get her second of the match in the 49th minute.

Straight from kick off, Motherwell had a superb chance to go 4-0 up. A low driven cross by Cunningham was met at the back post by an unmarked Lauryn Reside, but the defender managed to put in a superb block to deny the winger.

With just over an hour played and the weather beginning to take its toll on the players, Russell bagged a double in the space of five minutes. Her first came in the 63rd minute, bursting through the Glasgow defence before calmly slotting home her finish under the onrushing keeper.

Russell’s second goal came in the 68th minute in confusing circumstances. A great delivery by Cunningham into the box looked to have been put in at the back post by Russell. But the Glasgow players protested saying it went through the side net, through a hole in the netting. In what would’ve been resolved by going to the VAR, unfortunately such facility was not on hand, so the referee had to consult his linesman to get the final verdict. However they both agreed that the goal should stand and Motherwell moved into a 4-0 lead.

Refusing to take their foot off the gas, Motherwell continued to extend their lead and in the 77th minute two goals came just minutes apart for the ‘Well. The first from McLaughlin who got a well deserved goal after some great interchanging passes between Montgomery. A one-two into the box enabled her to produce a tidy finish into the bottom right corner.

The goals continued to come thick and fast for Motherwell as they grabbed their seventh of the game on the 80th minute. Megan Burns added her name to the scoresheet with one of her trademark long distance shots. The midfielder rifled one into the top right corner from range to all but rap up the victory.

The win means that Motherwell go into the summer break 13 points clear at the top of the table. And with only eight games remaining, they only need four more wins to secure promotion to the top flight.

First team

New Motherwell 2018/19 home and away kits

Saturday 23 June 2018

For 2018/19, we are going fully claret and amber with our home and away kits.